Believe the hype: Hogan eyeing Lingfield pot with 'deadly' sprinter Sceptical

Denis Hogan looks to have found another sprinting diamond in the rough with Godolphin castoff Sceptical, the new 3-1 favourite for the £150,000 Betway All-Weather Sprint Championships Stakes at Lingfield on Good Friday.

The £2,800 purchase made it three wins from four starts when bolting up by six and a half lengths at Dundalk on Friday night – a performance that led Hogan to believe Sceptical could be the best horse he has ever trained.

"He's shown us plenty from the first day we worked him and he was deadly on Friday night," said the trainer after the four-year-old was promoted to a mark of 114 from 101.

"He had a wind operation before coming back to us after a winter break and came back turned inside out. His work at home is fantastic."

Hogan added of the James McAuley-owned gelding: "He has so much natural ability I think you could put him anywhere over five, six or seven furlongs and he'd be effective – you just press go and there's loads there.

"The plan is to head to Lingfield for the all-weather championships on Good Friday. We're really looking forward to it."

Sceptical, by Exceed And Excel, has yet to be tried on turf but the dual-purpose handler does not envisage a switch to the turf this summer being problematic.

"He's a huge horse and I don't think he'll be restricted to the all-weather," he explained.

"He goes through soft on our gallops very well at home and there should be plenty of fun to be had with him on turf. The phone has been ringing plenty on Saturday but the lads haven't accepted any offers."

Make A Challenge: remarkable improver last seasonCredit: Patrick McCann

Hogan is also relishing the prospect of a high-profile sprint campaign with another horse bought unraced for £6,500 from Godolphin, Make A Challenge.

An extraordinary rise last season from 66-rated handicapper to British Champions Day fifth, now rated 112, has left the Invincible Spirit gelding in the mix for black type contests this season.

"Things didn't go to plan when he was beaten less than four lengths in Doha last month but he's come out of the race well, which is the main thing," explained Hogan.

"We'll look forward to the Listed Cork Stakes with him in Mallow [Cork] next month. A bit of soft ground there wouldn't do him any harm."

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